Supporters of rewriting chiles constitution have won a resounding victory in sundays referendum. With almost all ballots counted 78 percent of people voted in favour of a new charter. The countrys president Sebastian Pinera acknowledged the result and praised chileans for a peaceful and orderly vote. Coronavirus measures are hardening across europe as countries struggle with rising infections. Spains Prime Minister has announced a National Emergency and imposed a night time curfew. All bars and restaurants in italy will close from six pm on monday. And france has seen a Record Number of cases. The belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has defied an ultimatum set by the opposition which called on him to step down orface a general strike. On sunday riot police fired stun grenades at demonstrators in the capital. Now on bbc news its time for a look back
at the week in parliament. Hello there and welcome to the week in parliament. Coming up, the chancellor unveils more help forjobs and businesses hit by coronoavirus restrictions. With every restriction comes difficulty and that is why we are doing everything we can to strike that balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. But the opposition reckons the governments behind the curve. The winter economy plan series iii. You know but the twist is it didnt last the winter. It didnt do enough to help the economy, and it wasnt a plan. The labour leader says parts of england face prolonged agony. I really think the Prime Minister has crossed the rubicon here notjust
with the miserly way that hes treated Greater Manchester but the grub it take it or leave it way these local deals are being done. He stands up and attacks the economic consequences of the measures that were obliged to take across some parts of the country when he wants to turn the lights out with a full National Lockdown. Also on this programme mps mark black history month. And, a former Commons Speaker joins the chorus of disapproval of a bill that would allow ministers to break international law. Never in my parliamentary experience have i witnessed such a collapse of the Peoples Trust in a government that promised so much and so quickly. But first the chancellor came to the commons to announce increased support for jobs and workers hit by tougher coronavirus restrictions. Many firms had complained theyd be better off being forced to close under the tier 3 measures rather than struggling on with few
customers in the less restrictive tier 2. Rishi sunak said now thered a grant for businesses that were impacted but not shut. I am providing enough funding to give every Business Premises in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors a direct grant up to £2100 for every month tier 2 restrictions apply. He said thered be a more generous support scheme with employers paying less and staff having to work fewer hours before they qualified. First, under the original scheme, employees had to work for 33 of their normal hours. Now, we will ask them to work only 20 of those hours. Second, the employer contribution for the hours not worked will not be 33 as originally planned. Or even 20 as it is in the october furlough scheme. It will reduce to 5 . And thered be more support for the self employed with a doubling of the maximum grant available. And he concluded. Support for local authorities, support for the self employed, support for peoples jobs and incomes all on top of over £200 billion of support since march. This is our plan. A plan forjobs, for businesses, for the regions, for the economy, for the country, a plan to support the british people, and i commend the statement to the house. We had a patchwork of poor ideas rushed out at the last minute. This is becoming like a long running television show. The winter economy plan series iii but you know what the twist is . It didnt last the winter. It didnt do enough to help the economy. And it wasnt a plan. We have to get ahead of this crisis instead of always running to keep up. But rishi sunak said he wouldnt apologise for reacting to events and difficult choices
had to be made. With every restriction comes difficulty and that is why we are doing everything that we can to strike that balance between saving lives, and protecting livelihoods. We in the opposition benches have called for more certainty and a plan because the evidence is we are not coming out of this Coronavirus Crisis anytime soon. The chancellor has not listened and he has not responded. What this country needs now more than anything else is leadership, clarity, confidence that the government is in control. Rather than this constant reaction patchwork with every hallmark of having being written on the back of a cigarette packet that we are getting from this government. But the chancellor did have one big fan. I would like to thank the myth, the man, the legend that is the right honourable friend for this life saving support for businesses in my patch. And ask if he will continue to review and react promptly to the ever changing situation in his characteristically charismatic way. Laughter. Mr speaker, i am very grateful to my honourable friend for his, i think, kind compliments. When hed recovered from all that, rishi sunak said he was sure the measures hed announced would make a difference to matt vickers constituents. Rishi sunaks announcement came on the back of a week when divisions over tackling coronavirus had been laid bare. Talks between ministers and the mayor of manchester, andy burnham, over putting the region into the toughest covid regulations broke down. Local officials had been arguing for at least £65 million in financial support. Andy burnham said people and businesses were struggling and further restrictions would increase poverty and hardship. Boris johnsons government had offered £60 million in support and at a downing street news conference, the prime minsiter confirmed that having failed to Reach Agreement tier 3
regulations would be imposed, meaning pubs and bars which dont serve meals would close and thered be additional restrictions on households mixing. Late on tuesday night the Health Secretary made a statement to mp5. In Greater Manchester, there have been more Coronavirus Infections already in october than in july, august and september combined. Mr speaker, i understand the impact of these measures, but we must take the decisions to save lives and ultimately livelihoods in Greater Manchester. This is about so much more than Greater Manchester. But people will watch tonight and say if the government is prepared to inflict this level of harm on its people in the middle of a pandemic in one part of the country, they will be prepared to do with the people in all parts of the country as well. And the result will be a winter of hardship for millions of people. The people of Greater Manchester tonight feel that they have been abandoned by this government. And that my constiuents in Edinburgh West and people up and down this country will be wondering if they will be abandoned next. Thank you. It is impossible to describe todays events without using un parliamentary language. But out of deference to you, i will settle for a complete shamble. The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing overand overagain in the hope that it will turn good. We have had three months of interventions from Greater Manchester. Which have yielded very little results indeed. I cannot help but fear that the medicine is worse than the disease. At Prime Ministers questions the labour leader called on the Prime Minister to stop bargaining with peoples lives and provide the support Greater Manchester needed. This is a Prime Minister that can pay £7,000 a day for consultants on track and trace, which is not working, can find £43 million
for a garden bridge that was never built, but he cant find £5 million for the people of Greater Manchester. I really think a Prime Minister has crossed a rubricon here. Not just with the miserly way that he treated Greater Manchester, but the grubby, take it or leave it away ways these local deals are being done. Borisjohnson said £60 million from the government would be distributed through local boroughs as to Keir Starmers point. But i think it is the height of absurdity that he stands up and attacks the economic consequences of the measures that we are obliged to take across some parts of the country when he wants to turn the lights out with a full National Lockdown, taking kids. That was his policy last week, anyway, wasnt it . Does he confirm that it still has policy . Is that what he wants to do . A challenge keir starmer didnt reply to. The snps westminster leader wanted more help for workers. Yesterday, we saw his total disregard for the people of Greater Manchester, a tory attitude that people in scotland are all too familiar with. Millions of families struggling
and they want to cut their income in the middle of a pandemic. It is clear that the Prime Minister has decided with the decision to let unemployment soar just like thatcher did in the 1980s. Mr speaker, i really must reject what the right honourable gentleman hasjust said. It bears no relation to the facts of the reality of what this government is going to support people across the country. Labour used a commons debate to call for more help for areas facing additional covid restrictions. The partys deputy leader said the original package offered to Greater Manchester was an insult. But things took a bad tempered turn when a conservative accused labour of playing political games. I know the honourable member will think this is a good crisis which the labour party should exploit, and i know she speaks for a lot of her front bench colleagues when she says that, you can just see it in the support, u turn, oppose approach. It characterises their hindsight heavy behaviour. But. Excuse me, that did the honourable lady just call me scum . Order from the front bench, we will not have remarks like that. Not under any circumstances, no matter how heartfelt it might be. Angela rayner jumped to herfeet, arguing Chris Clarkson had made an inacurate comment about labours front bench but she did later apologise. Finally on thursday, the equalities minister told mps that her report on the unequal impact of covid i9 had found that a range of factors made it more likely that people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to be affected and die from the virus. But. Part of the excess risk remains unexplained for some groups and further analysis for the potential risk factors is planned. What has emerged is that interventions across the entire population are most likely to disproportionately benefit ethnic minorities and are at least likely to attach damaging stigma. Whilst i welcome the government
decision to make the recording of ethnicity as part of the death certificate process mandatory, collecting data is one part of what needs to be done. Now from coronavirus to brexit where the government faced an avalanche of criticism over its controversial internal market bill, which allows ministers to break international law. The legislation sets out rules for the operation of trade between england, scotland, wales and Northern Ireland after the end of the brexit transition period in january. But controversially allows the government to row back on parts of the brexit divorce deal agreed with the eu. In a lords debate the business minister set out the governments position. This bill will provide the certainty that businesses need to invest and create jobs. And it will accompany one of the biggest transfers of power in the history of devolution with hundreds of powers flowing from the eu to the devolved administrations at the end of the transition period. This bill will do all of this and preserve the internal market that has been an engine of growth and prosperity the archbishop of canterbury had already made his opposition clear in the morning newspapers. Explaining he was was worried about the impact on the good friday agreement. There are some who claim that me and my colleagues who wrote in the ft this morning are misinformed. But the letter, and this intervention followed the lead of those who have spent their lives seeking peace in ireland. Peace is surely something of which religious leaders should speak. An independent peer put down an amendment to show the level of opposition in the lords. So my lords, i know that i am not alone in finding it offensive that we are being asked by a minister, in parliament, to seek parliament authorisation to allow him to break the law deliberately and knowingly. My lords, saying it is only going to be done in a very specific and limited way is a total obfuscation. In this bill, the Prime Minister has now managed to anger lawyers, devolved authorities, the eu, the churches, his own backbenches, and a majority of your lordships. He is really like a bar room brawler, is he not, taking on all comers. Is it possible that they are right and that he is wrong . There was an occasional voice of support for the government. Most of the adverse comments are frankly sour grapes from remainers. That britain would lose its reputation by passing this bill is nonsense. But a former Commons Speaker disagreed. I was elected to parliament some 47 years ago. And i have witnessed nine Prime Ministers tread the steps
of number 10 downing street. But never in my parliamentary experience have i witnessed such a collapse of the Peoples Trust in a government that promised so much and so quickly, and now is groping for desperate solutions to problems it said would not arise, or if they did, they could easily be resolved. And when it came to the vote, peers voted by a majority of 226, in favour of lord judges motion condemning the disputed provisions in the uk internal market bill. They have voted content, 395. Not content, 169. So, the contents have it. And that thumping defeat for the government sets the scene for a continued tussle between ministers and the lords over the internal market bill. Now, lets take a look at some other
westminster news in brief. They were on and then they were off all week, but when michael gove came to the commons to update mps on uk eu trade talks, it was the reaction of former Prime Minister theresa may that caught the sketch writers eye. Shed asked michael gove about access to security databases to help catch criminals in the event of no deal. There are many, many areas in which we can co operate more effectively to safeguard our borders outside the European Union than we ever could inside, through a variety of methods and arrangements open to us, open to border force, and open to our security and intelligence services. We can intensify the security that we give to the british people. Mps rejected a call to extend Free School Meals for children in england over the holidays until easter next year. It followed a campaign by the footballer Marcus Rashford to fight child hunger. The striker says the problem is worsening as the covid crisis continues. A conservative reckoned there was a bigger picture. I spent eight years of my life working as a secondary School Teacher in which the overwhelming majority was at a head of year, working in some of the most disadvantaged parts of london and of birmingham, seeing the impact of Child Poverty and child hunger but also the impact of not having a Stable Family and good role models as well as crime and drugs in a local community. I refuse, madam deputy speaker, to be lectured by members opposite who have not walked in my shoes and have not seen the things that i have had to witness in my career. So, i hope the honourable lady will reflect on those remarks and i will not be lectured by members of the front bench who simply havent worked in the schools ive worked nor seen the things ive seen. I refuse to be shouted down and treated in this manner tell that to the 5,500 children in my constituency of bradford west who are eligible for Free School Meals tell that to the Marcus Rashfords of this world who grew up in poverty tell me, who grew up in poverty tell those on this side
of the house whove experienced it first hand just what should be done about statues in public spaces of now controversial figures . In june, protesters in bristol toppled the statue of i7th century slave trader edward colston. One peer suggested putting up a few new faces. Research by campaigner Caroline Criado perez suggests that there are only 158 statues of women, and of those, 110 feature mystical or allegorical women, 46 depict royals, and 11 show the virgin mary. Does the minister agree that rather than myths, princesses, or virgins, we should invest in a few statues that commemorate some of our great female innovators and role models such as dorothy hodgkin, ada lovelace, Jocelyn Bell Burnell . There are many to choose from and they would be a great addition to our landscape. The minister agreed there was plenty of room for women of extraordinary talent to be represented. No